Sugar cane goggles



Sept. 29, 1970 a. R. HOFFMASTER 3,530,506

SUGAR CANE GOGGLES Filed Jan. 12. 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 p 1970 G. R.HOFFMASTER 3,530,506

SUGAR CANE GOGGLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 12. 1968 United StatesPatent 3,530,506 SUGAR CANE GOGGLES George R. Holfmaster, Reading, Pa.,assignor to ESB Incorporated, Reading, Pa. Filed Jan. 12, 1968, Ser. No.698,684 Int. Cl. A6113 9/02 US. Cl. 2-14 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE A safety goggle having a readily attachable and replaceablelens formed of wire mesh or similar material to make it especiallyuseful in tropical climates where greater ventilation and protection ofthe eyes is needed when the wearer is engaged in tasks such as cuttingsugar cane, pineapples, etc.

This invention relates to a safety goggle. More spesifically, thisinvention relates to a goggle having a ventilated lens to make itsuitable for protection of the eyes in tropical climates, such as whencutting sugar cane and the like.

An outstanding disadvantage of industrial safety goggles when used toprotect the eyes of tropical climate workers, such as sugar canecutters, is that their lack of ventilation of the lenses makes ituncomfortably hot to wear and the lenses, when made of either glass orplastic material, will readily break such as when struck forcibly by afalling sugar cane stalk.

An object of the present invention is to obviate the abovenameddisadvantages by providing a simple, efficient and inexpensive gogglewhich can be quickly and easily fitted with a unitary ventilated lens of'wire mesh or similar material by means of a very simple and singlefastening means.

Another object of the invention is to provide a goggle which can easilyand selectively receive either a plastic lens or a wire mesh lens bydetaching and attaching a single fastener.

Other objects and advantages will become more apparent from a study ofthe following description of the invention when taken with theaccompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view showing goggles embodying theventilated safety lens of the present invention and with a portion ofthe rim shown broken away;

FIG. 2 is a front, elevational view of the ventilated lens shown in FIG.1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, cross-sectional view taken alongline III-III of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 are front, top and side views, respectively, of amodification of the invention; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective, exploded view of the modification shown inFIGS. 4, and 6.

Referring more particularly to FIG. 1 of the drawing, numeral 1generally denotes a safety goggle having a rigid one piece framegenerally denoted by numeral 2, of plastic or other suitable flexible orsemi-flexible material. An integral, flanged feathered portion 11forming a shield extends along the upper and lower portion of the gOg leso as to conform and closely engage the eye surrounding contour of theforehead, cheeks and nose of the wearer.

A lens 7 is made of a wire mesh, preferably a or to mesh, calendered,anodized aluminum wire screen, although the screen may be made ofgalvanized steel or other suitable metal or woven plastic material. Foruse 53,53,506 Patented Sept. 29, 1970 in cutting pineapples, it ispreferable to use a 15 mesh .015" wire calendered black, anodizedaluminum wire screen. The perimeter of lens 7 is embedded in a plasticrim 8, as seen more clearly in FIG. 3, having a thickness T. Rim 8 issupported in a groove of U shape between flaps or flanges 3 bounded byperimetrical base portion 4. The lens assembly of FIG. 2 is generallydenoted by numeral 5.

A plurality of integral, dovetail-shaped tabs 9 are provided along thetop front edge of the frame 2 to correspond with similar shapedindentions or cut out portions 10 in lens element 8 (see FIG. 2) so asto provide an interlocking fit between the lens and the frame.

The lens is attached and further secured to the frame by means of asingle snap fastener element having a front portion 6 which protrudesthrough a hole in the wire mesh to cooperate with a rear snap fastenerportion 6' of any well known type. In this way, the removable lens 7 iseasily and quickly attached and secured to frame 2 by the use of onlyone small snap fastener element 6, 6'. The combination of the snapfastener element and the dovetail indentations serve to hold the lenssecurely in place.

FIGS. 4 to 7 inclusive show a modification of the invention wherein thewire screen lens 7a does not have a rim 8, although it should beunderstood that such rim may be added if desired. Instead of using asnap fastener to attach the lens 7a to the goggle, a stay 12, of metalor plastic material, is used instead. The stay has an enlarged endportion 12b which fits into a correspondingly shaped groove containedwithin an integral tab 13. The opposite end portion 12a of the stayextends through correspondingly shaped holes formed in the nosepieceportion 14 so that the stay forms a connection between the top centraland nosepiece portion of the frame 2.

Lens 7a may be made of metal or perforated or woven transparent plasticmaterial. The side shield may be made of suitable flexible material,such as polyethylene and may be perforated for ventilation if desired.

In the embodiments shown in either ZFIGS.13 or 4-7, an integral thinflexible nose surrounding piece may be added to the nosepiece portion offrame 2 if desired.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided an eflicient goggle having aremovable and readily detachable and replaceable wire screen lens toprovide ventilation and protection to the eyes when the worker is intropical climates engaged in tasks such as cutting sugar cane or doingany other task involving the danger of falling stalks or elements thatmight tend to break or fracture the ordinary glass or plastic lensgenerally used in goggles.

While I have illustrated and described several embodiments of myinvention, it will be understood that this is by way of illustrationonly, and that various changes and modifications may be made within thecontemplation of my invention and within the scope of the followingclaim.

I claim:

1. A safety goggle, comprising a One-piece frame of flexible plasticmaterial having a rim portion including a nose-surrounding portion and apair of substantially radially inwardly, extending, closely spacedintegral parallel flaps extending throughout the entire periphery, thetop portion of said rim portion having integral downwardly projectingtabs between said flaps, a removable unitary lens of mesh screen ofblack anodized wire of between 10 and 20 mesh inserted into andsurrounded by said rim portion, a plastic rirn embedding the perimeterof said screen and conforming to the rim portion of said frame, saidplastic rim having a hole therein above the nose surrounding portion ofsaid screen, the top portion of said plastic rim of said screen havingslotted grooves which fit into said tabs which are correspondinglyshaped, and cooperating snap fastening elements attached to thenose-surrounding portion of said flaps, one of said elements extendingthrough said hole in said plastic rim and engaging with the other ofsaid elements for securing the screen to said flaps and constituting thesole fastening means along the bot- 10 tom portion of said rim portionfor detachably fastening said lens to said frame between said flaps.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS McConihay 214.6 Rickerd 2-12 Ring2-14.4 Parmelee 214.4 Taylor et a1. 2-14.4 Gongoll 2-148 Young 2-14.8Danowski 2-9 H. HAMPTON HUNTER, Primary Examiner

